Filing cabinet or the like



June 6, 1967 F. G. STARK FILING CABINET OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 IHIIIHIIHI HI HHHHIHIIII H IIHHIIIIHIHIHll INVENTOR. FOREST 6. $742K QWQM,M-@M

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June 6, 1967 F. G. STARK 3,323,849

FILING CABINET OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 h m! IIIHH Elilllllilll f l I United States Patent O 3,323,849 FILING CABINET OR THE LIKE Forest G. Stark, Jamestown, N.Y., assignor to Art Metal, Inc., Jamestown, N.Y. Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 502,900 4 Claims. (Cl. 312221) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A filing cabinet with several drawers and lock mechanism for locking all drawers closed simultaneously. Also, the lock mechanism when unlocked is returned to locked position when any drawer is pulled out, thus preventing more than one drawer to be pulled out at any time.

This invention relates to filing cabinets, and more particularly to such cabinets as are apt to tilt forwardly when the drawers thereof are pulled out in cantilever-supported manner for access to their contents. For example, cabinets of the so-called vertical file case type having vertically disposed series of drawers are usually constructed to average eye-level height, and the drawers thereof are of substantial lengths. When the drawers are fully loaded they are of substantial weights, and hence if more than one loaded drawer is pulled out of the cabinet in cantilever hanging relation thereon, the accompanying shift of weights will often tend to tip the entire cabinet forwardly.

It is an object of the invention to provide in a filing cabinet means for automatically preventing the pulling out of more than one drawer at a time into cantilever hanging relation.

Otherwise stated, it is a specific object of the invention to provide in a cabinet as aforesaid improved means whereby whenever one drawer of the cabinet is in its extended position the pulling out of another drawer is antomatically prevented.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a filing cabinet embodying the invention, with portions cut away to sectionally show the interior; and showing one filing drawer in extended position while the others are locked in cabinet enclosed positions;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, looking in opposite direction compared to FIG. 1 and on larger scale, showing the drawer lock mechanism in locked condition and in better detail;

FIG. 3 corresponds to the upper port-ion of FIG. 2 but shows the mechanism in cabinetunlocked condition;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as suggested by line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional'view as suggested by line 5-5 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating operative relationships of components of the automatic lock mechanism of the invention.

The invention is illusfiated by way of example in the drawing herewith as being embodied in a filing cabinet which is designated generally at 10 to comprise a sheet metal type casing including opposite side walls 12, 12; a top plate 14; and a box-like base portion 16. It will of course be understood that the cabinet will usually be of closed rear wall form, although this is not illustrated in the drawing herewith and is not necessary, and will be a matter of preference. In any case the cabinet casing will be arranged to support in extendable-retractable condition a vertically aligned series of filing drawers, shelves, platforms, or the like. As shown herein the cabinet accommodates by way of example a series of four vertically ice aligned filing drawers each of which is generally indicated at 20; the drawers being illustrated as being movably mounted in the cabinet by means of suspension devices which are indicated generally at 22. Whereas the suspension devices 22 are illustrated herein as being of the telescopic roller-supported type, it will of course be understood that any other type su-spensions may be employed in conjunction with the filing drawers, shelves, platforms, or the like, as the case may be.

In accordance with the present invention a locking system is provided in conjunction with the movable drawers, or the like as the case may be, which will provide at the same time means for locking all of the drawers in closed position; or alternatively, unlocking all of the drawers while automatically preventing the pulling out of more than one of the drawers. Thus, over-balancing of the cabinet is automatically avoided, such as might occur if more than one of the drawers should be disposed in cantilever extended condition at the same time.

As shown herein by way of example, the locking system of the invention may be provided in the form of a vertically shiftable lock bar 30 comprising a vertically standing strip of metal or the like carried as by means of guide flanges 32 formed integrally with or fixed to a side wall panel 12 of the cabinet structure. The lock bar 30 is basically controlled by a single cabinet lock mechanism, such as shown herein by way of example to comprise a conventional type plunger lock device 35. The plunger 35 is operable to cabinet-locked condition by simple manual depression of the plunger inwardly until the outer end thereof is substantially flush with the face of the cabinet. A spring-urged catch device (not shown) then holds the plunger in its locking position. Subsequently, upon insertion and rotation of a key the plunger may be released from its cabinet-locking position, as is well known in the art.

The lock plunger 35 is operably connected to a cam plate 36 which is spring-biased as indicated at 37 and is apertured as indicated at 38 (FIG. 2) to accommodate a headed pin 40 therethrough; the pin 40 being fixed to the lock bar 30. The aperture 38 of the cam bar 36 is so shaped that when the lock plunger 35 is depressed inwardly to cabinet-locking position, the pin 40 is drawn upwardly, thereby forcing the lock bar to move to its raised position as shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, upon release of the lock plunger 35 as explained hereinabove, when the latter moves outwardly as to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the lock bar 30 is released by the cam plate 36 and is freed to move downwardly to the position shown in FIGS. 1, 3, in response to the forces of gravity thereon. If preferred, a spring or the like, not

portions 48, 48 of a locking flange device 49 (FIGS. 2, 3,

3 lock mechanism 35 as shown at FIG. 2, all of the drawers are thereby held by the locking mechanism against withdrawal from the cabinet.

'A leaf spring 50 is supplied (FIGS. 5, 6) in conjunction with each lock finger device 42, to bias the latter toward drawer-engaging position, while at the same time permitting each lock finger device to be temporarily cam'med outwardly, thereby permitting an open drawer to be shoved home in the cabinet after the lock plunger 35 has been set in cabinet locking position. Thus it will i be seen that when the drawers of the cabinet are in retracted positions and the lock plunger 35 is in, all of the drawers will be thereby locked against withdrawal.

In accordance with the present invention each of the filing drawers is provided with an integrally carried cam device 55 arranged to slidingly engage one end of a rocker arm 56 which is pivotally mounted as indicated at 53 upon a vertical stringer 60 which is spot welded or otherwise rigidly fixed to the adjacent wall portion 12 of the cabinet casing. A coil spring 61 operates to bias the rocker in such direction as to lift the lock bar 30, and for this purpose each rocker arm 56 slidably engages at its other end a headed pin 62; the pins 62 being carried by the lock bar 30. The parts are so arranged that, assuming all of the drawers 20 to be in closed position, and the plunger 35 to be released to cabinet-open position, any one of the drawers may now be pulled outwardly. However, incidental to the movement of any one of the drawers outwardly of the cabinet the cam device 55 thereof will be thereby withdrawn from biasing contact with the corresponding rocker arm 56. Hence, the corresponding spring 61 is now free to operate to bias the arm 56 to lift the lock bar 30 to its elevated position, as shown by way of example in connection with the opening of the second-from-the-top filing drawer in FIG. 1 of the drawing herewith. As seen therein, the rocker arm controlled by the drawer which has been pulled out has been freed to elevate the lock bar to such a position as to cause all of the other drawers to be locked.

However, whenever the out drawer is returned to closed position inside the cabinet, the cam block 55 thereof operates against the corresponding rocker arm 56 so as to rotate it in counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 6 against the action of its spring 61 thereby releasing the lock bar 30 to fall by gravity to its drawer-unlocking position, whereby the lock fingers 42 move below the locking flanges 49 and thus unlock the drawers. Hence, any one of the drawers may now be withdrawn to open position whereupon the rocker bar 56 corresponding to the pulled-out drawer will rotate in response toits spring action, thereby resetting the lock bar to prevent the opening of any of the other drawers until the open drawer is returned.

Whereas the drawing herewith illustrates the invention as being embodied in a vertical file case type construction which depends upon the force of gravity to cause the lock bar 30 to move down to unlocking position when all of the drawers'are retracted in the cabinet, it is to be understood that a tension spring or the like (not shown) may be arranged if desired to help bias the lock bar downwardly; thereby assisting the forces of gravity and to assure the positive unlocking motion of the bar when all the drawers are in. It is to be understood that the invention is applicable with equal facility to a filing cabinet wherein pluralities of drawers or the like are disposed in horizontally aligned or side-by-side relation; and that in such case the lock bar 30 will be horizontally disposed and arranged to be biased by spring means instead of gravity toward unlocking positions. It will also be apparent that the lock bar 30 and the associated mechanisms are operable for their intended purposes Whether arranged in operative combination with the master cabinet lock, such as the plunger lock 35 as shown herein,

or not. The master lock may be key-controlled or of any other type.

Therefore, although only one form of the invention has by way of example been illustrated and described in detail herein, it is to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a filing cabinet or the like including a cabinet casing of open vertical side form and a plurality of vertically aligned filing drawers or the like mounted within said casing to be horizontally movable between cantilevereXtended and casing-retracted positions,"the improvement comprising a lock bar of vertically extending form mounted upon said casing to be vertically slidable thereon between a lower drawer-unlocking position and an upwardly shifted drawer-locking position, latch means carried by said lock bar at vertical intervals corresponding to the elevations of said drawers, detent means carried by said drawers for locking engagements with said latch means when said lock bar is in its upwardly shifted position and when said drawers are in fully retracted positions within said casing, separate shift lever means carried by said casing adjacent each of said drawers and each positioned to engage said lock bar to shift it from drawer unlocking to drawer locking position, spring means biasing said lever means in a direction to bear against and shift said lock bar to drawer locking position, and cam means carried by each of said drawers for moving said lever means in a direction opposing said spring means to allow said lock bar to return to drawer unlocking position, each cam means being positioned on its corresponding drawer for engaging said lever means as aforesaid only when the drawer is fully retracted.

2. In a filing cabinet or the like including a cabinet casing of open vertical side form and a plurality of vertically aligned filing drawers or the like mounted within said casing to be horizontally movable between cantileverextended and casing-retracted positions, the improvement comprising a lock bar of vertically extending form mounted upon said casing to be vertically slidable thereon between a lower drawer-unlocking position and an upwardly shifted drawer-locking position, latch means carried by said casing adjacent each of said drawers and to the elevations of said drawers, detent means carried by said drawers for locking engagements with said latch means when said'lock bar is in its upwardly shifted position and when said drawers are in fully retracted positions within said casing, separate shift lever means carried by said casing and adjacent each of said drawers and each positioned to engage said lock bar to shift it from drawer unlocking to drawer locking position, spring means biasing said lever means in a direction to bear against and shift said lock bar to drawer locking position, cam means carried by each of said drawers for moving said lever means in a direction opposing said spring means to allow said lock bar to return to drawer unlocking position, each cam means being positioned on its corresponding drawer for engaging said lever means as aforesaid only when the drawer is fully retracted, and a cabinet master lock device manually operable from externally of said cabinet and lost-motion connected to said lock bar for independently shifting the latter to drawer-locking position or releasing it for shifting in response to shifting operations of any of said lever means.

3. Ina filing cabinet or the like including a cabinet casing and a plurality of filing drawers or the like mounted within said casing to be horizontally movable between cantilever-extended and casing-retracted positions, the improvement comprising a lock bar mounted upon said casing to be slidable thereon between a drawer-unlocking position and a drawer-locking position, means biasing said lock bar towards its drawer-unlocking position, latch means carried by said lock bar at intervals corresponding to the positions of said drawers, detent means carried by said drawers for locking engagements with said latch means when said lock bar is in its drawer-locking position and when said drawers are in fully retracted positions within said casing, separate shift lever means carried by said casing adjacent each of said drawers and each positioned to engage said lock bar to shift it from drawer unlocking to drawer locking position, spring means biasing said lever means in a direction to bear against and shift said lock bar to drawer-locking position, cam means carried by each of said-drawers for moving said lever means in a direction opposing said spring means to allow said lock bar to return to drawer unlocking position, each cam means being positioned on its corresponding drawer for engaging said lever means as aforesaid only when the drawer is fully retracted, and a cabinet master lock device manually operable from externally of said cabinet and lost-motion connected to said lock bar for independently shifting the latter to drawer-locking position or releasing it for shifting in response to shifting operations of any of said lever means.

4. A filing cabinet comprising a casing having a plurality of drawers carried thereby for movement between retracted and extended positions relative to said casing, a single lock bar movable between locked and unlocked positions and common to all of said drawers, each of said drawers having a detent engaged by said lock bar when the drawers are retracted whereby all the drawers are simultaneously locked in retracted positions, manual means for selectively moving said lock bar between its locked and unlocked positions, the improvement comprising,

automatic means for moving said lock bar from its unlocked position to its locked position in response to movement of any drawer from its retracted position toward its extended position, whereby only one drawer at a time may be disposed in extended position,

said automatic means comprising a shift lever for each drawer mounted on said casing adjacent said lock bar, spring means biasing each shift lever into engagement with said lock bar and each being operative to move said lock bar from its unlocked to its locked position, and a cam on each drawer engaged with a corresponding shift lever only when a drawer is in its retracted position to move said shift lever in opposition to said spring means to allow said lock bar to assume its unlocked position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,432,559 10/1922 Jamieson 31216 2,240,067 4/ 1941 Bolesky 312-221 2,719,770 10/1955 Roberts 312-221 2,842,419 7/1958 Howard 312218 2,966,384 12/1960 Bergman 312-218 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

4. A FILING CABINET COMPRISING A CASING HAVING A PLURALITY OF DRAWERS CARRIED THEREBY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN RETRACTED AND EXTENDED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID CASING, A SINGLE LOCK BAR MOVABLE BETWEEN LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS AND COMMON TO ALL OF SAID DRAWERS, EACH OF SAID DRAWERS HAVING A DETENT ENGAGED BY SAID LOCK BAR WHEN THE DRAWERS ARE RETRACTED WHEREBY ALL THE DRAWERS ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY LOCKED IN RETRACTED POSITIONS, MANUAL MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID LOCK BAR BETWEEN ITS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, AUTOMATIC MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LOCK BAR FROM ITS UNLOCKED POSITION TO ITS LOCKED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF ANY DRAWER FROM ITS RETRACTED POSITION TOWARD ITS EXTENDED POSITION, WHEREBY ONLY ONE DRAWER AT A TIME MAY BE DISPOSED IN EXTENDED POSITION, SAID AUTOMATIC MEANS COMPRISING A SHIFT LEVER FOR EACH DRAWER MOUNTED ON SAID CASING ADJACENT SAID LOCK BAR, SPRING MEANS BIASING EACH SHIFT LEVER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOCK BAR AND EACH BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID LOCK BAR FROM ITS UNLOCKED TO ITS LOCKED POSITION, AND A CAM ON EACH DRAWER ENGAGED WITH A CORRESPONDING SHIFT LEVER ONLY WHEN A DRAWER IS IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION TO MOVE SAID SHIFT LEVER IN OPPOSITION TO SAID SPRING MEANS TO ALLOW SAID LOCK BAR TO ASSUME ITS UNLOCKED POSITION. 